Does God ever speak to you in church? Today was a day when I didn't expect too much of my church service. I wasn't prepared spiritually. I'd had an upsetting weekend and, last night, facing my second sleepless night, I took a capsule of Valerian to help me sleep. When that had no effect, I took a Gravol. Woke up this morning in a haze. Made it to church, missing Morning Prayer, which usually helps me to center for the main event.

The processional hymn was "Forth in thy name, O Lord, I go"

As I was reading along, since I didn't know the tune, I read these lines:

Preserve me from my calling's snare,
And hide my simple heart above,
Above the thorns of choking care,
The gilded baits of worldly love.

Duh! In my glazed, drug-induced stupor, I found myself thinking. Hey, this is for me!
God is speaking to me, I think. Then, my friend Mary, who was wearing a black straw hat, reached across my friend Cheryl and her daughter Kendra and nudged me. She had dropped her jaw and her lipsticked mouth formed a perfect O. She pointed to her hymnal and nodded.

Hey! How's that for confirmation. She thought it was a hymn for me too, given how I've struggled with work related issues over the weekend.

Any of you writers who sometimes visit this list, click on the link above to hear the music and read the words. Let this be your prayer too. May God speak to you in this hymn. Amen.

Oh, another thing. The scripture readings and the sermon were about how God first loved us and how perfect love casts out fear.

Epistle: I John 4:7-end

Gospel: Luke 16: 19-end


Read these lessons. They are amazing.